I am skeptical of such devices. It looks to be like the Tonerite which has been around for a while. I have tried Tonerite and read about it. There isn't any actual evidence that it works that I know of. And no particular reason it would. But if you are just convinced that vibrating your instrument top must open up the sound then there's nothing I can say. The Tone Traveller does improve the idea of the Tonerite by using a variety of frequencies instead of just the 60 cycle vibrator of the ToneRite. But so what? I'm open to any real evidence but at $289 I'd need more than I see. Testimonials aren't science.

Set your fiddle up in front of your stereo speakers and crank them up. Pretty much the same thing.

There have been a lot of different iterations of the idea that an instrument can be “broken in” by attaching a device to send impulses through the instrument to simulate the effects of playing.

The Tonerite is essentially a vibrator with variable speed that sits over the bridge.

I met a luthier at the Oberlin acoustics workshop who claimed to have been the original engineer of the idea before Tonerite took it and popularized it. His version was a device that sat on the bridge but could be driven by connecting it to a laptop and playing music through what was more or less a deconstructed speaker mounted on feet that held it to the bridge. When in use it sounded like the music was being played underwater but the violin was vibrating.

There have been other ideas. This one is just yet another.

Do they work? The jury has been out since they came onto the market and doesn’t show signs of a decision any time soon. Some shops use them with violins that have either just been set up or have been sitting unplayed to try to open them up tonally. The first shop where I worked kept two in the repair workshop. Every new setup was evaluated by the head of sales, and if one had been adjusted continually but seemed to be just a little underwhelming, the policy was that it would get a Tonerite on it overnight and be reevaluated the next day. I was never certain that it made a difference, and even if the violin sounded different, it wasn’t clear whether the Tonerite did anything or the strings and violin simply had more time to acclimate. In many cases we ended up adjusting the soundposts again, so the Tonerite didn’t solve those problems. The last shop where I worked was given one as a sample when they were new and it was promptly thrown in a drawer never to be retrieved.

While I’m skeptical of their effectiveness, they don’t seem to do harm unless they fall and damage the top. If you’re a little savvy with electrical work, you could very easily rig a device of your own up at little cost.

Dunno about the Tonerite, but I do know (subjectively) that playing on a fiddle that has just been set up improves it over time. Why? I dunno, maybe the sound shakes my brain around.

Personally, I believe that playing a new violin for a while does help it to open up. However, this change is simply difficult to show and prove. I do think real playing makes a bigger difference than using a device, but it’s only fair to acknowledge that a lot of very good luthiers are of the opinion that it is not the violin that changes but the player becoming accustomed to the eccentricities of the instrument. I don’t think that argument will ever be settled definitively.

I’ve certainly picked up a violin of mine (so one whose sound I would know well) that sat unplayed for a while and noticed that it seemed closed, but that it felt much more in character after playing for a couple days.

Often it seems that opinions about how violins open up are determined by whether one plays or not—players tend to be staunchly in favor of the argument that violins change tonally with playing, but makers and/or researchers who don’t play tend to be suspicious of this idea.

I have built several fiddles, and it’s pretty clear it takes a couple days or so for a new one to settle in. After that it’s setup adjustments. The fiddle shows it’s colors by then. Whether it changes due to playing after that has never been apparent to me. I do have a couple favorites to play but I occasionally give another a whirl, but unless I do something to the setups they all seem to stay true to their nature. I sometimes think I notice changes in timbre due to weather but those come and go, and might be my imagination too. 

Can;t say about this device or others, but I am 100% certain that fiddles can need some playing time in order to sound like they should. My main ax for many years was a Tyrolean trade fiddle (named Hans). When I played it almost daily, it sounded fine. But when I changed to a different main fiddle and did not play "Hans" often, it would take a few hours of playing to open it back up. It would sound closed or as I call it, "tanky". Still have Hans and it still needs time before he starts to sound full and open.

Would Hans benefit from this device or a Tonerite? Seems likely, considering the above. But as I have since moved on to a different, better instrument, I am not sending the $$ to find out.

Someone needs to buy one then rent it to the rest of us so we can test it for ourselves.

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Originally posted by fiddledd

Someone needs to buy one then rent it to the rest of us so we can test it for ourselves.

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Sure, but the test must be somehow objective. Who's going to come up with that?

Looks like bs to me...

pete_fiddle.....Master Bullsh*tter. Fiddler extraordinaire. Self acclaimed skeptic, and Non believer.

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Originally posted by pete_fiddle

Looks like bs to me...

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Probably as simple as that.

The test is- either it works for you or it doesn’t. For a small rental fee ($25), I’m willing to take a gamble. I’m pretty sure the last time I had my unplayed-in-a-while fiddle adjusted, the shop used something similar on it- as in 36 hours it came back sounding awesome- with the same bridge and just a strings/Soundpost adjustment. When I don’t play it for a while it still gets dead sounding.

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Originally posted by fiddledd

The test is- either it works for you or it doesn’t.

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Really? 'Working for you' isn't a factual discovery. There are other factors influencing how your fiddle sounds to you from day to day, and one of those is your subjectivity, mood, expectations, whatever. That's why there's the question of whether this device actually works or not. You'll say it works and I'll say it doesn't, and that's meaningless. Can you design a study that will give evidence that it does or does not work? It isn't easy. Try to design a test that will bypass your expectations. If you want to show something works then try disproving it first. Think of everything that might influence your assessment of the evidence and test  those things the most critically.

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Originally posted by fiddledd

The test is- either it works for you or it doesn’t. For a small rental fee ($25), I’m willing to take a gamble. I’m pretty sure the last time I had my unplayed-in-a-while fiddle adjusted, the shop used something similar on it- as in 36 hours it came back sounding awesome- with the same bridge and just a strings/Soundpost adjustment. When I don’t play it for a while it still gets dead sounding.

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I don't think it's at all fair to argue that the device makes the difference when there have been a soundpost adjustment and string change as well. The move of just a quarter of a millimeter can substantially alter the sound, and a new set of strings makes a large difference as well, especially so if it's a different set than that used before. 

I don't see any harm to using one of these gadgets if it's one that can be used without damaging the bridge or top, but I also don't see much real benefit to them.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people remark after playing a violin I've just set up that "I can tell this violin has been played for a long time because I can just feel how it's broken in nicely." That's not to say that "playing in" is a myth, just that violins are so complicated that even the leading scientific researchers in the world struggle to make sense of them, so it's not very likely that the answer to getting a better tone out of a violin is to attach  a vibrator to it. 
 

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

 That's why there's the question of whether this device actually works or not. You'll say it works and I'll say it doesn't,

And if I think it works for me, and you don't think it works for you, then I should be happy buying it to use, and you shouldn't spend your money.  Since music and sound is so subjective, it's hard to argue about what one person thinks is great and another thinks something sucks.  Just like you might think xyz band is great, and I have no use for listening to them.  I'd be one to argue that I don't care much for the reviews and the 'facts' (my facts) say the group isn't worth hearing.  So the same thing for a Tone Traveler device - if I can get some perceived benefit from it, and it makes me think it's a good investment, then the "fact" is I feel it's a good product.  (Same perception of what a great sounding violin is:  it's all subjective, and there isn't a 'fact' about what instrument sounds 'good').   

Just my 2¢ and not really worth arguing about....

 

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I have three fiddles, several steel string acoustic guitars, a banjo and a piano. Yeah, tone-wise, they all got better during their first couple years in my hands, but I haven't heard any improvements in their tone production since. This isn't to say, of course, that a better set of ears wouldn't hear continued improvements...presumably ears that were able to be a respectable distance away from the instruments while they're being played. On the other hand, though, I enjoy the sound I generate from each of those instruments. I even enjoy the rather thin, volume-challenged sound I get from my cheap, turn-of-the-twentieth century German factory violin.

When I was test driving new violins, I knew the chosen violin was only going to get better. But I play it at least a few minutes, sometimes hours a day. The gadget may work, but why not just play? Good for the instrument, good for the player.

Exactly what I was just thinking. A machine may help the instrument, but playing helps the player too.
BTW, this device seems to be aimed at guitar fanatics, who seem to be a little different breed. The other day I stumbled on a discussion at the Flatpicker Hangout (didn't know there was such a thing) about whether it was a good idea to spend over $200 on a capo (didn't know there was such a thing as that either)!

Brian - I don't think it would be difficult to test a device like this scientifically. You would stimulate the body of the instrument with a transducer (or maybe a mechanical bow of some kind if you want), measure the response, and show the result as a "waterfall plot" that shows the frequency response over time. This is done routinely for loudspeakers, and gives a good idea of the sound of an event (look at the Wikipedia page en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_plot for examples).
In this case you would first measure the violin, subject it to the device for however long you want, and measure again. Environmental temperature and humidity should be easy to control. I've never looked at these things much, but I've never seen any evidence that a test like this has been done.
I saw a system like this used when Ovation was developing the original Adamas guitar. They measured several guitars considered to have good sound, (including my friend's 1939 D-45) then tested prototypes so they could see the effects of changes in bracing, top thickness and construction (the Adamas had a composite "sandwich" top) soundhole design, etc.
I know my instruments often take awhile to "wake up" if they haven't been played for some time. I can hear and feel it. I agree with fiddledd - if you think a device like this works for you, that's enough.

i really think a hat with an all round brim has a significant effect on the sound of my fiddle ....To me anyways.

Mmmm...Maybe the rarity of good quality bowler hats was the last nail in the coffin for English fiddling ?

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Originally posted by DougD

I agree with fiddledd - if you think a device like this works for you, that's enough.

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Sure, that's okay. My point relates to this being a product that is sold to work in a certain way, and I hate to be a sucker.

Products like this have been on the market for a long time now. The one in the OP is just another iteration. If its value were truly so great, wouldn’t it have been put to great use at this point?

To me, individual opinions of its effectiveness are only as valuable as the knowledge of the individual, and when it comes to scientific considerations, even the knowledgeable opinion of one is not enough to make a definitive statement. In the violin world, since science affords so few explanations of tone and even fewer practical solutions to problems, trust in equipment comes down to precedent among a wide selection of good players and the shops that sell violins. It’s easy to say a violin sounds great, but that opinion only matters from a practical standpoint if it helps to sell a violin and the buyer agrees with that opinion. If you’re selling instruments, figuring out how to get them to sound such that they appeal to a wide audience is critical. Ships with bad-sounding violins get a reputation for it. So, while opinions are subjective, overall opinion comes far closer to objectivity. Bearing this in mind, I think it’s significant that major shops don’t use these products but instead rely with great confidence in the skills of their luthiers. Businesses need to make money to stay afloat in a competitive market, so they can’t afford to waste money superficially.

So I wouldn’t disagree with the sentiment that one should use the equipment one feels is effective, that is an entirely separate matter from the question of whether a product is good, effective, or worthwhile, something that needs to be evaluated from a broader perspective to have any practical application other than amusement.

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Originally posted by pete_fiddle

i really think a hat with an all round brim has a significant effect on the sound of my fiddle ....To me anyways.

Mmmm...Maybe the rarity of good quality bowler hats was the last nail in the coffin for English fiddling 

Pete when at jams, I always wear a cap with a big bill, for just that reason. It reflects the sound of the fiddle right to me and I can hear it better in jam sessions.  

We are belittling the skills of master violin makers such as Amati Stradivarius Guarnerius Etc, if we think that we can reproduce anything like their instruments by attaching a vibrator to a German trade fiddle, or a French Mirecourt fiddle....etc

The Masters invented and perfected an instrument that would stand up to Decades and centuries of use by professional artists who where cherry picked from brilliant violinists, would practice at least 4/6 hours a day, to perform technically brilliant pieces written by genius composers, for royalty and nobility. And then hand their instruments on to another generation of incredible violinists upon their death. Architecturally and ergonomically, as perfect as possible.

The best materials, tools, labour and knowledge where at their disposal. Without restrictions such as CITES etc. Stradivarius would be making violins made from trees that where chosen when they where planted, specifically for the growth rings, on the side of a hill, and stored in a secret way to enhance their tonal qualities and beauty, decades before they where expertly felled to make violins.

Then a couple of centuries or more of virtuoso violinists and luthiers have honed these instruments to perfection (or at least as good as it gets).

I am just a scratchy self taught pub fiddler. and i own a couple of fiddles...Suppose i could try and make my fiddle sound better by attaching a vibrator to it, but i think that trying to improve my technique ..or wearing a different hat, would have more of an influence on the sound i am getting.

Part of the fun for me is watching and hearing the instrument age on it's own. Also, the more it's played, the better it sounds. As far as fiddles, they seem easy to find in an old state. Interesting topic though.